Reykjavík Edition Lays Off 27 Employees

Reykjavík Edition — a 253-room, five-star luxury hotel, located next to Harpa Concert Hall — has laid off 27 employees, Morgunblaðið reports.  This was confirmed by Denis Jung, the hotel’s managing director. The hotel has employed a total of about 150 people, and the layoffs affect employees in all departments.

The reason for the layoffs is decreasing demand for accommodation, due to the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effect of strict disease prevention rules on the travel industry, Denis remarks. Demand has been lower than expected for the season.

The hotel, operated by Marriott International, opened its doors to the first guests in October, at which time it started using 106 out of its 253 rooms. Denis states the layoffs won’t result in any changes to the operation: “We’re not closing any parts of the hotel. We keep the operation going with the same number of rooms; the restaurant remains open, and the bar remains open. Service will not be reduced at the hotel.”

He hopes the pandemic will soon be over and believes the outlook for the summer is better.